ANNIE OKAY (2010)

Hammer Museum Public Engagement Artist-in-Residence Program Machine Project October 15-16, 2010 ANNIE OKAY was an original performance theater work inspired by the unintentional colonialist subtext in two of America’s most beloved musicals, Annie Get Your Gun and The King and I. Acknowledging the beauty and craft in these works, ANNIE OKAY revisits the musical form to look at what our entertainments say to us about our struggle with race, identity, colonialist politics, and the American tryst with violence. Poetic, dense, funny, and complicated, ANNIE OKAY challenged and surprised audiences as they were led through the Hammer Museum’s expansive lobby and marble terraces following a conceptual narrative performed by some of Los Angeles’ most intriguing and talented performance artists and actors. Written and directed by Asher Hartman and assisted by Haruko Tanaka, the short production featured artists whose individual careers span performance, acting, composing and directing, including Dawn Kasper, Paul Outlaw, Jasmine Orpilla, Rochelle Fabb, Michael Morrissey and Franc Baliton, Eliezer Ortiz, and Patrick Kennelly, Claire Cronin, Seema Kapur, Simone Gad, Caroline Kim, Robert Jacka Kristina Faragher, Mirabelle Ang, Caroline Kim, Miggie Wong, and John Wu. Featuring a score by Devin McNulty and Max Markowitz, choreography by Prumsodun Ok and Carol McDowell, sculptural costumes by Curt LeMieux, photography by Marchionno & McCarty, makeup by Maritza Mazariego. The performance moves between abstract theater, comedy, and relational components that allow audiences to enter into dialogue drawn from the piece’s mix of ragged humor, violence, and sexuality.

Annie Okay is inspired by the unintentional colonialist subtext in two of America's most beloved musicals, Annie Get Your Gun and The King and I. Anne Okay revisits the musical form to look at what our entertainments say about our struggle with race, identity, colonialist politics, and the American tryst with violence. Poetic, dense, funny, and complicated, Annie Okay challenges and surprises audiences as they are led through the Hammer Museum's expansive lobby and marble terraces following a conceptual narrative performed by Los Angeles-based performance artists and actors. Annie Okay moves between abstract theater, comedy, and relational components that allow audiences to enter into dialogue drawn from the piece's mix of ragged humor, violence and sexuality.

“The hour is midnight
Near Bangkok
We see reflections on the water
A woman alone, a white woman alone
There can only be danger in the silence”

Her morals are an anchor
To keep her buoyed
Yet she senses her fate fast approaching,
fast approaching.

(With gusto)
In the dark of night we roll along
Rowing without a care
Blithely unaware that there is trouble
In Bangkok
City of Western dreams

Written and directed by Asher Hartman
Assistant directed by Haruko Tanaka

The Cast
Franc Baliton, Claire Cronin, Rochelle Fabb, Simone Gad, Seema Kapur, Dawn Kasper, Patrick Kennelly,
Caroline Kim, Michael Morrissey, Jasmine Orpilla, Eliezer Ortiz, Paul Outlaw, Miggie Wong, John Wu

The Creative Team
Score: Devin McNulty & Max Markowitz featuring musicians Corey Fogel, John Wood, Jason Golday
and featuring 2 musical numbers by Claire Cronin and Jasmine Orpilla
Choreography: Carol McDowell, Prumsodun Ok
Costume: Curt LeMieux, Haruko Tanaka
Lighting Design: Carol McDowell
Sound Design: Chris Candelaria
Special Properties: Jay Lizo
Make-up: Maritza Mazariego
Photography: McCarty & Marchionno, Marianne Williams
Videography: Mirabelle Ang & Kristina Faragher
Graphic Design: Haruko Tanaka

Performances
Annie Okay was performed at the Hammer Museum on October 15-16, 2010 as part of Machine Project's Public Engagement Artist in Residence (A.I.R.) at the museum.